Councilman’s Curfew Concept

by Jeremy Morrison

It’s 11 o’clock. Does Pensacola City Councilman John Jerralds know where your children are?
The Councilman thinks they ought to be at home.

“Children that are unsupervised during certain hours have opportunities to do things that are not productive,” Jerralds said.
In what he describes as an effort to curb teen crime, the city councilman is pushing for a curfew. He would like to see an 11 p.m. curfew—midnight on the weekends—for kids 17-years-old and younger.

Jerralds believes such a curfew would deter crime as well as have broader effects like lowering school-dropout and teen-pregnancy rates.
“We need to try to do something to give society some relief,” he said.

The Councilman has been exploring the curfew idea for some time and plans to arrange discussions on the topic soon. Law enforcement and education officials will be consulted on the idea before the city considers moving forward.

“We’re going to sit down and have a roundtable,” Jerralds said.

If it becomes a reality, the teen curfew would allow for employment and scholastic related exemptions. Teens accompanied by an adult would also be allowed out after hours.

“We need to reconnect the children with their parents,” Jerralds said, later adding, “—they’re not mature enough to even be criminal.”
The Councilman conceded he could see the “pros and cons” of an officially-implemented curfew, but felt that it was government’s place to determine how late a minor could be out.

When presented with the theoretical scenario of a teenage astronomy enthusiast using a telescope in a park after hours, the city councilman said that “legitimate reasons” for a minor being out past 11 p.m. would be confined to work or school-related activities.

“That would not be an appropriate thing for a 15-year-old to be doing—outside, stargazing at midnight,” Jerralds said.